Railway officer found dead in Agra DRM office; family alleges suicide due to 'toxic' work culture

A 32-year-old railway officer was found dead in one of the chambers at the divisional railway manager's Office in Agra, officials said on Monday. A 32-year-old railway officer was found dead in one of the chambers at the divisional railway manager's Office in Agra, officials said on Monday.

(Sakib Ali/HT)The deceased, Abhishek Singh Kushwaha, was posted as an assistant operations manager (AOM) in the Agra railway division. His body was found on a sofa in an office chamber at around 11 pm on Sunday, police said.

Kushwaha's wife and mother have alleged that a toxic work culture and mental harassment by a senior official drove him to take his own life. Sanjay Gautam, PRO, Agra Division, confirmed the incident but dismissed the allegations levelled by the family members.

"Kushwaha was found lying on a sofa in the chamber of the senior divisional operations manager (general). He was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead," Gautam said. "His post-mortem report is yet to come. Since the matter is under police investigation, I cannot say anything further," he added.

When asked about the family's allegations of mental harassment by the senior divisional operations manager (coordination), Gautam dismissed them as "baseless" and declined to share further details. "These are all baseless allegations," Gautam said.

In a complaint filed with the police, Kushwaha's wife, Astha Rani, stated that on November 1, 2026, her husband had told her that he was going to the office. He later returned home at around 4 pm to collect a diary. Rani added in her complaint that he appeared very disturbed at the time.

When she called him about an hour later, at around 5 pm, he did not respond. Later that night, she learnt about his death. She said her husband had been transferred from Prayagraj to Agra around three months ago and had allegedly been facing harassment since then.

She alleged that the senior divisional operations manager (coordination) had subjected her husband to a stressful work environment, making him work from 9 am to 11 pm, and had threatened to ruin his career if he did not follow his orders.

The incident has sent shockwaves among other railway staff members, who have demanded strict action against the person responsible. Railway employees staged a protest outside the divisional railway manager's office, holding senior officials responsible for the officer's death and demanding action against them.

"The toxic work culture at the DRM office has led to Kushwaha's death. We want action against the accused official, and we will continue our protest until justice is delivered," a staff member said.